NUR 512 Module 2 Discussion Primary Care NP Role vs APN Roles

Sample Answer

The quality and access of healthcare services depend on the availability of care providers. As a result, adequately skilled nurses ready to provide care are critical to the expanding healthcare system and achieving Healthy People 2030 goals. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2022), millions of Americans highly regard a nurse practitioner (NP) as their preferred primary care provider. This preference underscores the value of NPs in health promotion and creating a healthy, productive populace. This discussion explores the role of primary care NPs versus other advanced practice nurses.

Serving as an advanced practice nurse requires an in-depth understanding of primary care provision and preparation through education, skills, and continuous training. NPs are masters-prepared nurses with board certification in a particular population segment. Approximately 88% of NPs are certified in an area of primary care provision, and 70.3% of the current workforce deliver primary care (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2023).

Broadly, the role encompasses tasks that ensure patients receive timely, high-quality, and patient-centered care. They include assessing patients, ordering medical tests, diagnosing conditions, and prescribing medications (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2022; NurseJournal Staff, 2023). Commonly, they work as independent primary care providers or as part of a larger medical team.

NPs share similar roles with other advanced practice nurses, including certified nurse specialists (CNSs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and certified nurse midwives (CNMs). Regarding duties and responsibilities, all these advanced practice nurses can assess patients, order medical tests, and diagnose conditions (Boehning & Punsalan, 2023). Besides, they primarily focus on managing patient problems and offering advanced care to reduce the risk among individuals and groups while guiding patients on appropriate health choices.

Despite these similarities, the roles differ in the scope of work and specialization. For instance, CNMs can supervise births, and CRNAs can administer anesthesia. The CNS can specialize in leadership, clinical research, or training (NurseJournal Staff, 2023). These roles show that the specialty focus differentiates primary NP and other advanced practice nurses’ roles. In this case, other practitioners deliver a particular type of care as NPs focus on a particular population.

Communicating the role to a healthcare provider and a consumer would primarily involve outlining the duties and the relevance of primary care NPs in the current and future healthcare system. As Wheeler et al. (2022) posited, APNs have the desired capacity to ensure the world achieves the Sustainable Development Goal of universal health coverage. This is a critical point when stressing the role of NPs to a healthcare provider and the continuous need for their growth and support. Besides the regular primary care duties like assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, primary care NPs should bring a personal touch and comprehensive perspective to healthcare (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2022).

As a result, evidence-based practice (EBP), collaboration, and patient-centeredness are critical for NPs to excel in primary care provision. To a consumer, the role of primary care NPs or other advanced practitioners should be communicated in terms of their purpose in delivering the promise of medicine. A consumer should know that NPs are sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable in primary, acute, and chronic care to all patients of all ages and backgrounds. As such, they should be the initial contact at points of care, playing a fundamental role in meeting patients’ and populations’ healthcare needs.

References

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2022). Nurse practitioners in primary care. https //www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/nurse-practitioners-in-primary-care
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2023). NP fact sheet. https //www.aanp.org/about/all-about-nps/np-fact-sheet
• Boehning, A. P., & Punsalan, L. D. (2023). Advanced practice registered nurse roles. National Library of Medicine.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (2024). APRNs in the U.S. https //www.ncsbn.org/nursing-regulation/practice/aprn.page
• NurseJournal Staff. (2023). NP vs. APRN. What’s the difference? NurseJournal. https //nursejournal.org/resources/np-vs-aprn/
• Wheeler, K. J., Miller, M., Pulcini, J., Gray, D., Ladd, E., & Rayens, M. K. (2022). Advanced practice nursing roles, regulation, education, and practice a global study. Annals of Global Health, 88(1), 42. https //doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3698